Maldives has showcased its tourism products at FESPO, the largest Swiss holiday and travel fair.
In a statement, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) said its officials together with 19 participants from 12 companies of the tourism industry are representing the Maldives at the fair, being held from Thursday to Sunday in Zurich, Switzerland. The Maldives delegation is headed by Dr Hala Hameed, the Maldives ambassador to Switzerland and to the UN offices in Geneva, and Hussain Lirar, the deputy tourism minister, it added.
According to MMPRC, resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards and other tourism related companies are representing the Maldives in a 36 square metre area at the Schell scheme stand 6.028, showcasing the beautiful unique sceneries of the destination. The destination is being directly promoted in different media platforms during FESPO, with a target to expand the market further, it said.
“Promotional activities which will attract the visitors will be conducted during this four-day exhibition to attract the maximum number of visitors. In addition to this, discussions will be carried out with the major travel trade media and operators from the market for possible joint promotional campaigns which can be conducted throughout the year,” the statement read.
“FESPO is a great platform to approach the Swiss Market as well as the German speaking nationalities.”
Now in its 28th year, the Fespo in Zurich offers its visitors information about adventurous, exciting, relaxing and unique holidays. In 2016, 650 exhibitors showcased their products and attractive offers to an audience of more than 63,000 visitors.
Majority of Swiss travellers to the Maldives are repeat visitors, and Switzerland has been highlighted as one of the most potential markets for Maldives in terms of visitor arrivals.
Arrivals to the Maldives from the Swiss market has increased to 3.1 percent, with a total of 32,651 by the end of December 2017. Switzerland has a market share of 2.3 percent, and this percentage is expected to increase with the representation of the Maldives at FESPO this year.